The Bounds of Friendship
by Leslie Emm
Summary: Just a little fun. Flack/Messer friendship. Don's feeling a bit neglected by the fairer sex and Danny might just have the answer...M for swearing and references.
1. Chapter 1

The bounds of friendship.

_So, with my hard drive still playing silly beggers, I can't get back into my stories to edit. This little one however popped into my head after watching Grease followed by an old episode of CSINY and...here it is. Characters do not belong to me unfortunately, just borrowing. Around seasons 1-2 with the Flack floppy hair thing going on._

…...

"You goin'?" Danny Messer stood on tip toe to try and casually look over Don Flack Jnr's shoulder. It didn't work, he wasn't tall enough, Danny stepped to the side.

"Dunno" Flack shrugged "Not dressin' up if I do"

"Aw c'mon buddy!" Messer protested "Where's your sense of fun?"

"I got a sense of fun" Don grumbled darkly.

"Right" Danny scoffed "Well concealed huh?!"

"You're an ass Mess" Flack huffed "What do I need with brylcreme an' leather jackets?"

"You _got_ a leather jacket" Danny pointed out.

"Yeah" Don replied "A cool one"

"You scared it'll put the chicks off?"

"Humph"

"Ohhh...I see dry spell huh?" Danny teased "Tough buddy"

"Jus' cos I don't bang everything that moves" Don replied heatedly.

"I'll take that as a yes" Danny smirked "An' I don't bang _everything_ that moves, you're not so moral yerself there Don, I _seen_ what you took home last post game party don't forget"

"None a your damned business"

"You need to get laid dude" Danny pointed at him with a grin "Come to the 'Grease Tribute Night'" he cajoled "Chicks _love_ Grease, jus' love it, you'll score, and if ya don't I'll take ya home baby"

"Shut the fuck up, never even seen the damned film" Don glanced around him nervously "You gonna dress up?"

"Course!" Danny grinned "Danny right? All in the name"

"No _way_ you can be Danny" Don told him "Too short and fair"

"Thought you'd never seen it?" Danny teased.

"Humph" came the reply, Don eyed the poster suspiciously.

"I tell ya what" Danny offered "I got the DVD at home somewhere..." he caught Don's amused grin "An old girlfriend left it, come over tonight for a beer, we'll watch it...see who we can go as..."

Don's lips twitched "Jus' for research?"

"Of course" Danny clapped him on the shoulder "What other reason could two single straight guys have for watchin' Grease by themselves huh?"

"I'll be there at 7" Don growled before stalking back down the hallway of CSI and to the exit.

…...

"Who you kiddin' Danno?" Don laughed as the film played out on the screen "You gotta be that short skinny blonde kid, you look nothin' _like_ Danny"

"That's the point" Messer rolled his eyes "You don't have to!"

"You're more Sandy than Danny" Don raised his eyebrows as he drank some more beer.

Danny smirked "You go as Danny" he offered "An' I'll go as Sandy"

Don let out a bark of laughter "Now I _know_ you're pullin' my chain" he said.

Danny grinned "Maybe"

…...

"How the hell did I let him talk me into this?" Don muttered to his glowering reflection as he tried to tease his stubborn hair into a 50's style quiff. The outfit had cost a small fortune and he'd spent almost the same again on gel and spray for his hair.

He glared at his flopping hair once more as he heard his apartment door knock and stomped out of the bathroom, wrenching the door open he stood, utterly speechless.

"Tell me about it" Danny grinned at him "Stud"

Don mouthed at him as he took in Danny's appearance. A blonde straight wig covered his own bed head style hair, and poorly applied make up adorned his face. Looking lower Don saw the top of a bra (and he didn't even want to think about where _that_ had come from) obviously stuffed with socks, strapped to Danny's chest. His 'breasts' hung unevenly and looked lumpy and odd. Straining over the bra was a white Alice style dress, the straps looking utterly ridiculous on Danny's muscled shoulders, wispy chest hair poked out in tufts from his 'cleavage'. Blinking at the unreality Don just had to look lower, seeing Danny's dress stopping modestly just below his knees, cinched at the waist with a pretty belt. The legs that followed were hairy and encased in nylon, and despite his initial shock, Flack started to laugh. The laughter increasing as Danny stumped in in the pair of ugliest high heels he'd ever seen.

"I got new respect for women" Danny grumbled "How the hell do they walk in these things?!"

"You mighta waxed" Don managed finally "Oh my God, I gotta go outside with you lookin' like that"

"An' these damn nylons..." Danny hitched his dress up and tugged at the offending garments roughly, Don saw his at least had boxers on underneath and breathed a sigh of relief "They fall down all the time! An' they make stuff...sweaty"

"Ugh" Don pulled a face but the smile crept back again, he couldn't actually believe Danny had done this...the guy was as crazy as a box of frogs "You didn't need to share that...Danny...you're not seriously going like that are you?"

"Yeah" Danny grinned at him "I told you that if you went as Danny, I'd go as Sandy..."

"I didn't actually think you would..."

"Gotta give you a chance with the chicks right?!" Danny grinned "You're lookin' real sexy there in those tight jeans by the way...here, let me fix your quiff..."

Don slapped Danny's hands away from his face and stepped back "Get off me!" he laughed "We better go"

Danny stood straight and prim, extending his hand to Don graciously, Don stared at it.

"Not a damned hope in hell" he said, outraged.

"But Danny..." the real Danny batted his eyelashes at Don "You're my date..."

Don wrenched the door open and shooed Danny out of it, pulling his arm away as Danny attempted to latch on. Bickering they left Don's building, Don looking around for a cab to save himself being seen on the street with what amounted to a man in drag, _bad_ drag.

…...

Arriving at the venue they spilled out of the taxi onto the side walk and were left by a cab driver that didn't seem disturbed at all by what they wore. Only in New York.

Glancing to the side he saw their reflections in a large mirrored store window and paused slightly.

He started to laugh...and Danny looked at him.

"We look totally ridiculous" Don said happily.

"Yup" Danny grinned back.

"Let's get this over with" he sighed "An Danny?"

"Try an' grab my arm again, I'll break your hand, OK?"

Danny laughed "I got you baby" he batted his eyelashes.

"Stop it" Don ordered "I'm here to score remember, I don't want you crampin' my style"

"I feel used!" Danny wailed in mock distress and Don pushed him through the door of the bar roughly.

Wolf whistles surrounded them as they entered the room full of T-Birds, Sandy's and Pink Ladies, Don felt slightly less conspicuous as he saw everyone had made the effort, Danny however seemed to be the only _guy_ dressed as Sandy.

"Nice legs Messer!" someone shouted and Danny grinned back.

"Hey Mess...great rack..."

Don relaxed a little more and left Danny to his fans, heading for the bar, he leaned on it, bill in hand as he waited. He grimaced and jumped back as a sharp pain went through his foot, looking down he saw the source of the pain, a stiletto heel.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry...are you OK?" a womans voice concerned over him "That _oaf_ barged into me and I lost my balance..."

Don gleamed a smile down at the pretty woman in front of him, the pain in his toe forgotten as he took in the real curves of a real woman encased in the 50's tight fashion style.

"It's nothing" he smoothed breezily "So who are you here as then?"

The woman brandished a pink shoulder at him that told him 'Rizzo'

"Oh, neat" he grinned.

"Yeah, my friends said I'm more like her than anyone else...you must be Danny though, that quiff is a work of art" she replied.

"Thank you" he smiled "Just here with friends?"

"Yeah" she looked slightly shy "You?"

Don smiled sardonically and pointed Danny out "He's my 'date'" he sighed.

"Oh..."

"Oh no!" Don scrambled to recover the situation "Not _that_ type of date, we decided to come along for some fun, ya know as colleagues... He thought he'd get more attention like that...he wasn't wrong was he?"

The woman laughed and held out her hand "My real name is Sally" she said "Can I get you a drink? To say sorry for your foot?"

"Well thank you Sally" Don purred almost "That's very kind, I'm Don"

"Nice to meet you" she held his handshake and eyes a little longer than was needed and he got the message, leaning an elbow on the bar.

"So Sally..." he started "What brings you here?"

…...


	2. Chapter 2 - Identified

Identified

_So this is a follow on from 'The Bounds of Friendship', I thought it might be fun to bring it right up to post season 9 and see how a similar situation may pan out..._

…...

"80's night?" Detective Don Flack raised an eyebrow at his friend and colleague Detective Danny Messer in askance "Really?"

"It'll be fun" Danny grinned at him "Ya know, leg warmers, backward caps and jus' think of those short skirts the girls used to wear..."

"_You_ shouldn't be thinkin' of short skirts" Don told him with a smirk "Or the girls in them"

"I can when my wife is wearing one" Danny returned his smirk with triumph.

"Lindsay's goin'?"

"Yup" Danny replied "An' Sheldon and Camille, Jo, Mac and Christine, Adam an' I think even Sid's makin' an appearance"

"Mac in leg warmers?" Don pulled a face "Ouch"

"I doubt it" Danny laughed "But seriously, get your ass there, family night out"

"I dunno..." Don hesitated.

"Buddy don't take this the wrong way..." Danny said carefully "Oh, how do I put this...? You ah, seem to be feeling a lack of the company of the opposite sex"

Don folded his arms, trademark sneer directed at Danny "You used to tell me I needed to get laid"

"That too" Danny laughed "Look I know there was _somethin'_ went on with Lovato, but it's clear that it didn't get very far... and now she's gone..."

Don sighed "No, it didn't" he admitted "She's a great woman, but..."

"I know buddy" Danny's face wore an expression of understanding and compassion. Jamie Lovato was a good looking woman, hot, fiery and a great cop. But with her dark, long hair and smart returns, she reminded more people than Don of Jessica Angell. Her departure for bigger and better things was a blessing in disguise as far as Danny was concerned.

Don smiled a grateful thanks.

"I'll think about it" Don finally conceded, Danny was right, he _was_ missing a woman in his life for more than one night. Not that there'd been many of those recently either.

"Good" Danny clapped a hand to his shoulder.

"On one condition" Don qualified "You don't wear a dress..."

"You always have to bring that up don't ya?" Danny huffed but then smiled "But you just proved my point, you scored that night"

"Yeah" Don recalled that indeed he had, he couldn't recall her name, but he recalled most of the night, he'd enjoyed himself "Like I said, I'll think about it"

…...

"You call that dressing up?" Sheldon Hawkes looked scarily like some of the guys Don could remember from his 80's childhood, usually handcuffed in the back of his fathers squad car.

Don looked down at his own outfit, ripped jeans, his old leather jacket and a 'Relax' tee.

"Hey …... This is what I wore in the 80's!" Don protested.

"You're so straight Flack" Hawkes laughed "I could draw a rule line with you"

"Shuddup 'dude'" Don chuckled "See? I can even talk the talk"

"Sure you can" Hawkes laughed.

Don looked around, spotting Danny looking vaguely like Vanilla Ice and Lindsay sporting a more conservative Madonna type costume. Heading over he found himself goosed and jumped, whirling around his outraged expression changed to a cheeky grin.

"Jo!" he said, half in greeting and half in mock disgust.

Jo grinned back, looking flirty and sultry and like a mom all at the same time in only the way Jo could. She took a suck from the straw stuck into a glass with more decoration than Times Square at Christmas.

"You got such a cute little butt under those denims Don" she grinned "That rip is in a _great_ place"

To his credit Don barely blushed "Oh, too many Mohito's there Josephine?" he teased.

"Oh don't flatter yourself" she winked "If I wanted you, I'd have had you by now"

"I don't doubt it" he laughed back "Bonnie Tyler right?"

"Yup" she grinned out at him from a wild blonde wig, sporting a leather jacket and leather trousers, if he were into older women, Jo would have probably been his first choice "Who are you?"

"Just me" he replied "The 80's version, though I have a little more grey than I did then. Haven't had a lot of spare time to make a costume..."

Jo linked arms with him and they headed towards the group.

"Let's go say Hi" she purred "And then you can buy me another drink, I'm trying to work up the courage to do to Mac what I did to you. He's got jeans on too...his ass rivals yours I have to tell you"

Don laughed "I'll make it a double then" he said wisely "Aren't you afraid Christine will have somethin' to say?"

"No" Jo replied happily "We're having a competition, see how many cute butts we can collect..."

"You _really_ should know better" Don shook his head.

"I should" she nodded in agreement "But I have Sid, Sheldon, Danny and now you, I want the full set"

"So I can expect the same treatment from Christine then?!" Don asked darkly "I don't like the idea a pissin' Mac off..."

"Oh relax Gloomy Gus!" she laughed and turned to him with a confiding air "She's _very_ discreet"

Don laughed and shook his head again as they reached the group and exclamations about costumes and greetings were exchanged.

…...

Don was what he'd call pleasantly merry, or was it merrily pleasant? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he was having fun.

The whole story of Jo, Christine and the butt grabbing came out after a few more beers and to his surprise, Mac had been highly amused by it all. Looking around he felt good that he'd come. He had the warm glow of friendship accentuated by alcohol.

"Hey where you goin'?" Danny asked him as he eased out of seat.

"Bathroom" Don mouthed.

"Huh" Danny leered "Thought you were gonna finally go buy that blonde over there a drink...she been lookin' this way all night"

"Gimme a break Danno..." Don laughed.

"Buy her a drink" Danny said "Or I'm gonna an' tell her it's from you, an' you're one a'dem guys needs a buddy to fix him up..."

Don pointed at him "I don't even know _which_ blonde you mean"

"She's the one that'll be drooling as you an' that tight little butt of yours walk past Detective Flack!" Jo called out loudly.

Don dismissed them with a laugh and a wave, leaving everyone chuckling at Jo's 'down time' persona.

Don closed the door to the mens room and turned to head back to the bar, rocking slightly as he was brought up short by a mele of people in the way. He opened his mouth to ask for a way through when a sharp pain in his toe made the words change abruptly.

"Shit!" he swore instead.

A face turned to him, mortified.

"Oh my God!" the not unattractive red head exclaimed "I'm so sorry! Are you OK?!"

"Ah...yeah" he replied, his face reddened from the pain and his teeth only just unclenched.

"I was trying to get through...got shoved...are you sure you're OK?"

Don blinked, recognition bells ringing in his beer fogged brain.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

The woman took a closer look at him and frowned "I don't think..." but then he saw her expression change to apprehensive "You're a cop right?"

_Damn_ he thought, _I've arrested her_.

"Yeah" he smiled "For my sins. Witness?" he hoped "Victim or wrong doer?" the lopsided grin widened when she licked her lips.

"None of the above" she told him haughtily "One night stand"

Don mouthed for words _How the hell did I forget? I haven't slept with **that** many women!_

"Ahhh" he sighed, hoping he looked suitably contrite and not just drunk "I didn't call you did I?"

_Might as well bend over an' take an ass kickin'_ he decided.

"You did actually" she corrected "But our shifts clashed for about 2 weeks...and I never called you back..."

Don laughed, more than a little relieved, he remembered now, and intended to use it to his advantage.

"Well Sally" he grinned as her eyebrows shot up when he used her name "It would seem you owe me _two_ drinks, one for assaulting me with those lethal heels again, and one for breakin' my heart"

"The heels" she grinned a wicked grin "You got me on, but breakin' your heart? C'mon..."

"What?" he said with as much innocence as he could muster considering the memories now flooding his head "Guys have feelings too..."

"OK" she laughed, not pulling away as he put his hand on the flat of her back and guided her towards the bar "_Two_ drinks...unless you think of any more 'felonies' I've committed and can buy my way out of with alcohol?"

"Give me a minute" he smiled down at her as she turned and eyed him with amusement "I'm sure I'll think of somethin'"

…...

_OK, so I know that Lovato leaving isn't canon. But well, I don't like what CBS did there. She's like an Angell clone, and I think it's a poor storyline for Flack considering how well they wrote Flack/Angell and the aftermath of her death._ _Feels to me that that they just threw something together because the series was ending and they didn't want to leave the Flack love interest un answered. It's just my opinion though...no offence to those who subscribe to the Lovato/Flack relationship._

_And Smuffly ;p enjoy lol _


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